At long last we’ve found a happy medium. My seventh grader got his much-desired smart phone this summer and everything I dreaded about it hasn’t happened (knock on wood). He’s not on it 24/7 or even head down, zoned out, while we’re in public places. That was our first social stipulation about getting such a… Read more

By Julie Samrick On Oct. 6, 2012, the Braun family’s golden retriever Murphy, startled by a gun shot, bolted into the Tahoe National Forest near an off-trail campsite at Hell Hole reservoir. Over the next two days they scoured the area for Murphy but that Sunday evening they went home to El Dorado Hills in the… Read more

Does handwriting matter? Not very much, according to many educators. The Common Core standards, which have been adopted in most states, call for teaching legible writing, but only in kindergarten and first grade. After that, the emphasis quickly shifts to proficiency on the keyboard. But psychologists and neuroscientists say it is far too soon to… Read more

By Julie Samrick The verdict is still out whether or not the MTV effect will work on my sixth grader. When I was his age my mom delayed letting me watch MTV long enough that by the time I had the freedom to watch it, I’d never developed the habit and lost interest. My son… Read more

Yik Yak – This app is one of the newest and one of the most dangerous. It allows users to post text-only Yaks of up to 200 characters. The messages can be viewed by the 500 Yakkers who are closest to the person who wrote the Yak, as determined by GPS tracking. Users are exposed to…Read more

Pop Quiz: Which event stunts emotional growth more significantly: Standing awkwardly at a school dance; working up the courage to talk to someone; or failing to go to the dance at all, limiting conversation to a text? read more

If you are a person of a certain age, you remember what it was like to use a rotary phone—the slow process of dialing, the weird clicking sound the wheel made. These kids in the latest video from Benny and Rafi Fine are too young for that. Watch how adorably perplexed they are when this relic is placed… Read more

While the underlying causes of autism are still not fully understood, many health experts believe that genetics, environmental factors or a combination of the two are to blame. Now, a new meta-analysis has revealed that toxins in the environment may play a much more significant role in the formation of this neurodevelopmental disorder than previously… Read more

A 2-year-old boy is being hailed a hero after using FaceTime to save his mother after she was gravely injured. According to a report from KGUN, Laura Toone was trying to break up a fight between a foster dog she had been caring for and one of her own dogs — when the foster dog… Read more

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Julie Samrick
Finally, someone’s speaking out on the increasing madness of youth sports. A former professional athlete turned coach, now father of two, was in my town last week on one stop of a national lecture tour

When I was 6-years-old my parents told my three sisters and me we were adopting a baby boy. When I got off the school bus the day of our much-anticipated special delivery my mom was there to greet us. “Meet your new

At long last we’ve found a happy medium. My seventh grader got his much-desired smart phone this summer and everything I dreaded about it hasn’t happened (knock on wood). He’s not on it 24/7 or even head down, zoned

By Julie Samrick
As political, social and religious wars rage around the world and we hear of the bloodshed of children, the most innocent among us, most other topics seem petty to discuss.
Yet the new

By Julie Samrick
I wanted to let you know I'll be taking a short leave from writing articles for Kid Focused while I work on a clean, kid friendly, novel.
I've always wanted to tackle a book and have finally found

By Julie Samrick
Three-year-old Joseph’s flu-like symptoms were the first indicator something was wrong. “It was odd because he was only vomiting at night and he was really lethargic during the day,” said his mother

By Julie Samrick
As we sat around the campfire last weekend I pulled out an old Girl Scout goody for the 11 kids in our party. My Aunt Tilly, she died last night, she died last night, did she die?
At first

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By Ann Van De Water
Over the counter "Swimmer's Ear" drops contain alcohol. The prescription is an antibiotic and does not contain alcohol. I learned this the hard way.
My daughter had been complaining of ear pain so I told my husband I thought she had swimmer's ear and that I'd make a ... Read more

By Mario Vittone
The new captain jumped from the deck, fully dressed, and sprinted through the water. A former lifeguard, he kept his eyes on his victim as he headed straight for the couple swimming between their anchored sportfisher and the beach.
“I think he thinks you’re ... Read more

By Lowry Manders
I recently heard author Bruce Feiler interviewed on NPR about his book The Secrets of Happy Families and as I listened I thought to myself, “I have got to get a book published!” He is echoing so much of the things I preach (and try to live) about how to create happy families in ... Read more